Listen to Robert Emmerich introduce The Big Apple, a hit song from 1937. Music written by Bob and performed by Tommy Dorsey's Clambake Seven with Bob on piano. Lyrics written by Buddy Bernier and sung by Edythe Wright. Audio provided by Dorothy Emmerich.

Schlotzsky’s deli began with in south Austin in 1971 with just one sandwich—“The Original,” a version of the famous New Orleans muffuletta sandwich featuring three meats. Schlotzsky’s first slogan was: “Just one sandwich...it’s that good!” Franchising soon followed; Schlotzsky’s was sold, went into bankruptcy in 2004, and reorganized.

The name “Schlotzsky’s” is said to have no special significance and is not the name of an original owner. A 1995 slogan that is still current is: “Funny Name, Serious Sandwich.”

Schlotzsky’s maintains a presence in the Austin community and has featured Austinites in its advertising and has sponsored various local events.

Wikipedia: Schlotzsky’sSchlotzsky’s is a privately held franchise chain of restaurants specializing in sandwiches. As of November 20, 2006, Schlotzsky’s has nearly 380 franchised and company-owned locations in 36 states in the United States and in six other countries around the world, generating $210 million in systemwide revenue. Most of the locations are across the south and southwestern United States.

History
Don and Delores Dissman founded the company in 1971 in Austin, Texas. The initial menu consisted of a sandwich of mixed meats, cheeses and black olives toasted on a freshly made sourdough bun. The sandwich was called “The Original.” The bun was claimed to be Muffuletta bread.

About Schlotzsky’s Deli and Schlotzsky’s, Inc.
In 1971, a small shop on South Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas was home to a single, one-of-a-kind sandwich. The menu was succinct: one delectable sandwich composed of a unique combination of premium meats, cheeses, and marinated black olives served on hot Schlotzsky’s sourdough bread. From humble origins, The Original® created a passionate customer following.

Now more than 30 years later, Schlotzsky’s is an international franchise restaurant chain with locations in 35 states and six foreign countries.

In those 30 years, customers’ tastes have evolved, and so has the menu. The Original® sandwich is still the mainstay of Schlotzsky’s, but today you can also enjoy fresh baked bread, delicious hot sandwiches and panini, specialty pizzas, toasted wraps, freshly tossed salads, gourmet soups, and more!

Yet even with an expanded offering, and hundreds of franchises, our tastes remain true to our roots. Schlotzsky’s is still using the highest quality ingredients to make the world’s best sandwich. Stop by for a cup o’ joe, The Original®, or a low carb wrap—you may be surprised by what you find.

In the beginning, there was this sandwich as big as your head. It came with three meats, cheeses, lettuce, tomato, olives and herb dressing on a delicious and perfectly textured sourdough bun. You could down one of those and sleep like a baby the rest of the afternoon. The $2.95 Original was the first and only child of Schlotzsky’s founders Don and Delores Dissman, who modeled the sandwich on the muffulettas they discovered in an Italian grocery store in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The couple introduced their own version of the muffuletta to Austin in 1971, setting up shop in a modest little space at 1301 South Congress. They came up with the name Schlotzsky’s for no other reason than it seemed to fit.

Schlotzsky’s became a big hit in South Austin, so the Dissmans decided to open a second store in Dobie Mall, targeting the hungry student population. In 1977, emboldened by the success of the two stores, the couple plunged into the strange new world of franchising, and before long the sandwich maker’s offspring began popping up in towns well beyond Austin’s borders.
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The brothers took the company public in 1995 and it saw rapid growth throughout the Nineties, exceeding $400 million in sales. Along the way, the deli chain extended an exceedingly generous hand to local charities and nonprofit organizations, and generally established itself as an Austin-centric institution while continuing to expand its global reach. From its one-sandwich beginning, Schlotzsky’s has grown to nearly 20 menu offerings and expanded many of its hole-in-the-wall stores to spiffy “fast-casual” restaurants. But in Schlotzsky’s current bankrupt state, many old-timers find themselves longing for a return to the days of “One Sandwich. It’s That Good.”

Austin Chronicle (October 8, 2004)The Life of a Sandwich
1971: Don and Delores Dissman open first Schlotzsky’s sandwich shop, 1301 S. Congress. The $2.95 Original – an 8-inch muffuletta stuffed with three meats, cheeses, lettuce, tomato, olives, and dressing on a sourdough bun – is an instant hit.

1981: John and Jeff Wooley and Gary Bradley pay less than $3 million for Schlotzsky’s, then with 100 franchise stores and $18 million in sales. (...)